How To Start A Container Garden This Spring

If you’re like most of us who live in an apartment and want the opportunity to enjoy homegrown produce, you know how difficult that can be. Container gardening is an answer for those who have limited areas to grow plants. It’s perfect for condo’s and patios but also is convenient for those with limited mobility. Growing vegetables in a container can offer you the opportunity to learn about gardening while being able to enjoy homegrown produce. What could be better than picking red, ripe tomatoes that you’ve personally tended?

Choose Your Container

Almost anything can be used for container gardening but some perform better than others. You can grow lettuce in shallow baking pans, tomatoes in bushel baskets or large pots. Glazed ceramic pots are nice but not necessary. Just be careful that you don’t choose a container that previously held toxic substances.

In general, plan for five hours of sunlight. Some need more, some less but it’s a good place to start. The beauty of container gardening is that you can place it anywhere and you can move it if you need to.

Tip: Heavier containers placed on rolling trollies provide the most convenience in case of bad weather.

The Soil

Did you know there are two types of soil available for container gardening? Garden centers sell a soil-less mix especially for small space gardening. It holds moisture and nutrients better than natural soils and also is weed and bacteria free. Soils from your yard isn’t usually used because it’s too heavy.